Kara of Trebond, Squire
by Mindelan
Summary: Keladry of Mindelan chooses a female squire, Tobe trains to be a knight, the rise and fall of the black knight, old friends, and Kel and Dom together at last. All of these events tie together to make some of the memerable years at the castle. R&R!
1. Kara of Trebond, Very, Very Senior Page

Kel pulled Peachblossom to a stop and dismounted. She pulled her helmet off and tucked it under her arm. Stefan grinned at Kel, then took Peachblossom's reins. "How's the border, milady?" He asked. Kel grimaced. "Two more rouge machines. We know there's more left out there, but we can't find them." Stefan shook his head. "I'll get young Tobeis to be feeding and watering Peachblossom." "I'm here!" A young boy ran up to them, panting. "Stefan, you know you can just call me Tobe." Stefan nodded. "Aye, then, young Tobe. I'll be off then." He turned to Kel. "Milady." Kel grinned. "Just Kel, Stefan. Just Kel will do fine." "Alright then, Just Kel. Tobe." He smiled at the two, and then ambled back to the stables. Tobe smiled happily after Stefan, then at Kel, and led Peachblossom away, whistling a happy tune. Kel sighed and left.  
  
In her room, Kel found a letter from Lord Raul:  
  
Dear Kel, There's a group of promising senior pages. Go have a look at them. And, there's going to be a peace party going to Scanra. Keep your ears open. -Raul  
  
Kel crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the letter. Then, she changed into blue breeches, a cream shirt with full sleeves, and a green tunic trimmed with cream. Once she's arrived at the pages' practice courts, Kel saw what Raul'd meant. The pages certainly were promising. Two of the pages caught Kel's eyes. One of them rode a black stallion. Kel frowned at the page's mistake. Kel looked the page up and down. The page was obviously a girl; her long blonde hair would have glinted in the afternoon sun, if it wasn't matted with sweat. She had blue eyes, and fair skin. She would have made the perfect wife if not for her muscles. The girl wore spurs, but the training master, HaMinch preferred all the pages to. And then there was the shorter girl. She rode a reddish-brown mare named Shannon Rose, who, as Daine had told Kel, was pregnant. The petite girl wore no spurs. The girl had cropped brown hair with hazel-green eyes that were more green than hazel. She patted Shannon Rose's neck, and walked her not to the end of the practice line, but to Kel. "Are you watching us because we're going to be squires soon?" She asked. "If you are, pick Lyna. She's the best of all of us, even of the boys." Someone spat at the younger girl. It was Lyna. "Scanra?" A voice echoed through the practice courts. Lyna's head jerked up. "Yessir?" "Extra math for the rest of the week." It was the training master, HaMinch. Lyna nodded, looking ashamed. "Yes, my lord." HaMinch left. Kel looked at the smaller girl. "Why'd he call her Scanra?" The girl looked from Lyna to Kel, then down at Shannon Rose's back. She sighed sadly. "She came as an illegal immigrant, and the King's Own took her in. No one told the King, but he found out anyway. He gave her the choice to train as a knight, or. or." "Traitor's Hill?" Asked Kel softly. The younger girl shuddered softly, then nodded. Kel shook her head, then nodded. "Thank you. Back to work then." The girl smiled. Kel remembered to ask for her name, but the girl had already started to walk Shannon Rose back to the practice line. "You won't be wanting to pick young Trebond as your squire." Kel looked up, startled. It was HaMinch. "Sir?" "She started when she was eight. You see, there was a Scanran attack on Trebond," Kel nodded. Trebond was near the border, but it had mountains protecting it! Unless. "so she rode all the way here on Shannon Rose's bare back. I'm surprised you don't know her. She says she stopped at Haven for a little while." Kel felt her eyes sting. "Was she really skinny, with hair longer than Lyna's?" She whispered with sadness. HaMinch shrugged. "Now there's a decent squire!" "Who?" Kel asked. "Lyna." HaMinch sighed. "They're such opposites, Lyna of Scanra and Kara of Trebond." Kel nodded thoughtfully. "I'd better go. Thank you, sir."  
  
Tobe caught up with her as she made her way to her rooms. "My lord HaMinch told me to tell you that you should know that if the Trebond refugee girl isn't picked as someone's squire, she has to repeat her four years as a page over again, as she's eleven now." Kel sighed and shook her head. "That just settles my decision even more." She shook her head. Doing that to Kara, of all people, was just plain wrong. "You're getting a squire?" Tobe asked softly. "Of course you'll still help me," Kel told him, "but you won't be doing everything."  
  
The next morning Kel found her squire-to-be walking her horse, Shannon Rose around the outskirts of the Royal Forest. "You'll want to be careful around these parts," Kel told Kara, "Not even Sir Nealen knows what could pop up." The look on Kara's face was of such astonishment that Kel grinned and laughed. She'd have to try that herself sometime. Kara smiled apologetically. "But Sir Nealen knows everything!" She protested. "He acts as if he does." Kel sighed. "Kara are you really going to have to repeat your page years?" "I'll do it," Kara said, "just to show Lyna." Kel smiled She smiled. She remembered almost doing the same thing, just to show her old rival, Joren. "You don't have to, Kara. I want you to be my squire." Kara hugged Kel with all her might (Kel was tall enough Kara didn't have to dismount from Shannon Rose's back). "I'd love to! I was hoping you'd pick me!" Kel smiled. "Come on. Let's go move you into your new quarters." 


	2. Kara of Trebond, Very Small Squire

Kara smiled happily and flopped backwards onto her new bed in her new room. I just love this!, she thought.  
  
There was a knock on her door. "Come in!" Kara called.  
  
"Kara?" It was Kel.  
  
"Hi!" Kara cried.  
  
"Kara, this is Tobe. He will help you get settled in."  
  
A boy slightly older then fourteen came in. He held out his hand to shake.  
  
Kara shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, Tobe."  
  
Tobe, remembering his manners, kissed Kara's hand gently. "Milady Kara. Of Trebond."  
  
Kel hid a smile. "Tobe, why don't you go find Neal. No doubt he, uh."  
  
Tobe left the room quickly.  
  
"Try to be nice to Tobe," Kel asked of Kara. "You'll get used to him as he will to you. May I sit?" She asked, gesturing to a chair.  
  
"Yes." Kara said thoughtfully. "Something is wrong. What's the matter?" Seeing Kel's startled face, she added, "I have the Sight. I sense you do, too."  
  
I'll get back to the comment about the Sight, Kel thought. "Yes, something is wrong. One of my friends-"  
  
"Cleon."  
  
"Yes," Kel said absentmindedly. "Anyway, one of my friends has picked Lyna as his squire. Could Kara See more about Kel than was necessary? Like what more did she know about Cleon? And me, Kel thought, stunned. She realized Kara was talking, then she started. "Hm?" Kel asked.  
  
"I asked if you would you like me to deliver a response, milady?"  
  
"No thank you. Now rest up. Tommorow I'm taking you to the tilting yards." Kel yawned.  
  
"What about dinner?" Kara asked meekly.  
  
"Yes," Kel said absentmindedly. "I'll have Tobe bring you something. Meanwhile, learn to like him. As the great Lioness once told me, ' "Learn to love." '." Kel stood up.  
  
"Milady, of course!" Kara said, eyes widening.  
  
"What?" Kel looked at the young girl.  
  
"Milady, I just realized how awfully tall you are!" Kel couldn't help it. She laughed out loud, then disappeared into her connecting room. 


	3. Kara of Trebond, Very Hurt Squire

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some people have been saying they thought females couldn't have female squires. That was pretty much to make sure Alanna didn't help Kel in any way (even though she did anyway with all the gifts, etc.).  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Tamora Pierce books and characters, etc.  
  
"How many invitations would you like me to write, my lord Cleon?" Lyna asked her knight-master from her desk.  
  
"Just use all the paper I gave you. Names are on the list with the paper." Cleon disappeared into his room.  
  
***  
  
"Tobe," Neal said.  
  
Tobe looked up at Neal through his long eyelashes. "Yes milord?"  
  
"You like this Kara girl, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You are her knight-master's servant. You can get her to like you."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," Tobe told Neal.  
  
***  
  
"TRAITOR'S HILL?!" Alanna, the Lioness, the King's Champion of Pirate's Swoop and Olau screeched at the king. "You were going to send the Scanran refugee girl to TRAITOR'S HILL?! She isn't even from Tortall!"  
  
"You bring this up now, Lioness. It was four years ago." The king sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"And now she'll eventually head there anyway because of the direction she's heading. She HATES them all! Especially that poor Trebond girl!"  
  
"Alan of TREBOND," The king said.  
  
***  
  
Kel was glad she was sitting down. There was no doubt she was going to be invited, but for Cleon in Lyna, his squire's handwriting made it worse.  
  
Kara stuck her head in the door. "Tea, milady? I was going to make some for myself, and wondered if-" Seeing the look on Kel's face, she stopped. Kara walked in and sat next to Kel without even bowing or anything. "I-"  
  
"Leave me alone, Kara," Kel told her. "I need some time to myself right now."  
  
When Kara didn't budge, Kel snarled: "I said leave me alone, okay?!"  
  
Kara left, and when the door connecting their rooms was securely closed, Kara sobbed into her pillow. 


	4. Kara of Trebond, Very Suggestive Squire ...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Tamora Pierce books and characters, etc.  
  
A/N: Oh my gosh! I am sorry I haven't posted a new chapter for so long! I am a freak! I guess I am lazy, too. I'm sorry this chapter is so short! I just don't know what I want to say, so it's pretty much just a filler chapter.  
  
There was a quiet knock on Kara's door. "Come in," Kara called, sitting up and wiping her eyes.  
  
The door opened. "Milady?" It was Tobe.  
  
For some reason Kara felt happier that Tobe was there. "Yes, Tobe?"  
  
"Milady, I heard you crying, and I-"  
  
"Oh, Tobe. Just call me Kara. Not milady."  
  
"Yes, milady-I mean Kara."  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Lyna sat in her chambers, talking softly to herself-Or so it seemed. "I WILL bring the downfall of the lady knights. But I will be a lady knight, will I not? Incorrect. I will be a black knight. You just wait. Now, page, go get me my knight-master. And DON'T. TELL. A. SOUL."  
  
A page walked out of the shadows and nodded feebly. "Yes, milady." He hurried out of the room.  
  
***  
  
"Tobe." Kara smiled.  
  
"Yes, milady Kara?"  
  
"I'm fine. I'm not crying anymore. I'd stay away from milady Kel if I were you. She seems a little cranky. Go train to be a knight or something."  
  
He took her seriously.  
  
A/N: All flames will be used to help the homeless and poor, helpless animals that need warmth. 


	5. Kara of Trebond, Very Foot in Mouthy Squ...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Tamora Pierce books and characters etc., even though I am toying with their mortal lives in this wonderful story, which happens to be written by me.  
  
A/N: I bet you never thought I'd update, didn't you. Well, aren't you proud of me? I did! I did, I did, I did, I did, I did! (I am SO sorry it wasn't sooner, though.)  
  
"You." The trainer looked at the tall, overage boy standing in line. "Why are you here?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
"I would like to become a night, milord," the boy began, "I was brought on to the idea by-"  
  
The trainer grabbed the boy's jaw. "Enough." After he looked him over thoroughly, he let go of the boy's jaw and pointed to section of tall boys. "Go over there."  
  
***  
  
The sky was a shade of melancholy navy, and a lone star twinkled years away. Kara sat on her window seat and watched slowly as more stars came to join the lone star, bravest of them all.  
  
There was a quiet knock on her door.  
  
"Tobe, is that you?" Kara asked quietly, ignoring the fact that the room was as quiet as the catacombs.  
  
The door opened, and Kel entered. "Kara?"  
  
Kara ignored her knight-master and watched as two more stars silently joined their companions.  
  
"Kara, I'm sorry," Kel began, "may I sit?" she gestured at the opposite end of the window seat.  
  
"It's okay." Kara said offhandedly.  
  
"No, Kara it's not," Kel said comfortingly. "It was wrong of me to take out my anger on you."  
  
"Don't give me that adult crap," Kara snapped, "it's always the same with you. All of you. You either take it out on me because I'm too small, I'm betrothed, or because I am the Trebond and Olau girl that wasn't supposed to happen-" She clapped a hand to her mouth, realizing what she had let slip.  
  
***  
  
The knight looked at all of the tall boys. "You all are in your final year of being a page?"  
  
The tallest boy frowned; all of the boys around him were nodding. He raised his hand. "No, sir. I reported to the trainer, and he ordered me over here. I have never been a page before."  
  
The knight frowned. "But you are very old, even for a fourth year page."  
  
"The. Idea to be a page was most recently brought to my attention," the boy began, "If I may be so bold-"  
  
"No, you may not be so bold until I know you better," the knight snapped, "state your name."  
  
"Tobeis, sir."  
  
"Tobeis? Is that all? Who-"  
  
"I am Keladry of Mindelan's servant. Her squire, Kara of Trebond brought me on to the idea to be a knight. I had never considered it until now."  
  
"You are to stay with these page boys, as they are those closest to your age. If you are prepared to work, you may remain. You will not get as much sleep; there will be time needed to train you at breaks, meals, and during most of the night. If I feel that you are wasting my time, then you will go back to being a servant. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Tobe looked flaming eyes with the man, and bowed, rebelling from the breaking of I contact. "Crystal, milord."  
  
A/N: All flames will used to help those less fortunate. 


End file.
